Overview

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) (also known as a minor stroke or mini stroke) produces similar symptoms to a stroke but generally lasts only a few minutes without any permanent damage. A TIA occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery for a short period of time.

Physicians may refer to a TIA as a “warning” because often they precede an actual ischemic stroke. Approximately 1 in 3 people who have a TIA will go on to have a stroke, roughly half of those people within a year. For this reason, it’s important to take TIAs very seriously. When you heed the warning a TIA represents, steps can be taken to prevent a true ischemic stroke from taking place.